Advanced Google Adwords

by Geddes, Brad

• ISBN13: 9781118819562
• ISBN10: 111881956X
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2014-05-12
• Publisher: Sybex

Summary

The ultimate guide to Google AdWords is fully updated for its third edition

This is the ultimate guide for those who want to quickly get beyond AdWords basics to learn and apply the advanced techniques and tactics that are used by Fortune 500 companies. The book provides insight into AdWords' functionality and advanced features, explaining how they work and providing tips, tactics, and hands-on tutorials, which readers can immediately use on their own PPC campaigns.

The third edition features more than 50 pages of new material and has been completely revised to cover all the changes to Google's system, including changes to the campaign structure, bid modifiers, new quality score analysis techniques, and the latest ad extension updates. Expert author Brad Geddes gives advanced insight, direction, and strategies for every aspect of using AdWords to create and manage a successful pay-per-click marketing campaign, and also shows you the best tools and techniques for keyword research, including negative keywords. In addition you'll:

• Discover how to craft winning ad copy, and explore advanced PPC campaign optimization techniques, including how to optimize for a good quality score
• Explore the intricacies of the Display Network and learn how to interpret reports
• Learn how to use the AdWords Editor to create thousands of keywords and ad copy configurations
• Understand advanced bidding strategies, and how to best organize and manage an AdWords account
• Learn how to best test everything from landing pages to ad copy

The book concludes with detailed chapters on understanding, interpreting, and acting upon the detailed AdWords reports so you can confidently make decisions to positively impact your campaigns. Advanced Google AdWords is detailed, in-depth, and full of insights, techniques, tips, tactics, and fascinating real-world case studies, making it the ultimate step-by-step guide for developing advanced AdWords expertise.

Author Biography

AdWords expert Brad Geddes is an Internet marketing consultant and the first and only Advanced AdWords Seminar leader that Google selected to conduct seminars for top businesses. He has advised companies such as Amazon, Red Lobster, Encyclopedia Britannica, and other Fortune 500 companies.

Table of Contents

Foreword xxxi

Introduction xxxiii

Chapter 1 Understanding Search Theory 1

The Origins of Google AdWords  2

Google Enters the Arena 5

Google AdWords Select Revolutionizes PPC 6

The Psychology of Search 7

Turning Concepts into Words 8

Understanding Search Results 10

The Purpose of Ad Copy 11

Landing Pages Lead to New Customers 12

Advertising Is Not Advertising When It Is Information 14

Goal Alignment: Google vs You vs the Searcher 15

Best Practices for Applying Search Theory 17

Chapter 2 Performing Keyword Research 19

Understanding the Buying Funnel 20

Examining the Buying Funnel Phases 21

How Do Consumers Flow Through Your Buying Funnel? 22

Understanding Keywords 23

Types of Commercial Keywords 24

Finding Keyword Ideas 26

How Many Keywords Should You Have in Your Account? 29

Creating Keyword Lists 31

Using Long-Tail Keywords 33

Wide vs Deep Keywords 35

Discerning Keyword Match Types 36

Broad Match 37

Modified Broad Match 38

When Should You Use Broad Match? 40

Phrase Match 40

Exact Match 42

Variation Match 43

Which Match Type Is Best? 44

Using Negative Match 46

Implementing Negative Keywords 46

Negative Broad Match 49

Negative Phrase Match 50

Negative Exact Match 51

Putting Negative and Positive Keywords Together 52

Researching Negative Keywords 53

Using Advanced Organizational Techniques 55

Adding Multiple Match Types to the Same Ad Group 55

Restricting Match Types by Ad Group 56

Restricting Match Types by Campaign 56

Taking Control of Your Ad Display 57

Best Practices for Conducting Keyword Research 58

Chapter 3 Keyword Tools: Extracting Valuable Data from Google 59

AdWords Keyword Planner 60

Generating Keyword Ideas 61

Advanced Options and Filters 65

Ad Group and Keyword Ideas 69

Traffic Estimates 76

AdWords Keyword Planner vs Third-Party Keyword Tools 82

Google Trends 83

What Services Should You Offer? 85

Determining Your Messaging 87

Determining Consumer Interest 88

Bing Ads Intelligence 89

Best Practices for Using Keyword Tools 90

Chapter 4 Writing Compelling Ads 93

Do Your Ads Reflect the Search Query? 94

Writing Effective Ads 96

Calls to Action 97

Touching the Emotional Core 98

Following Google’s Editorial Guidelines 99

Character Lengths 99

Editorial Requirements 100

Developing Unique Selling Propositions 102

Distinguishing Features and Benefits 103

Benefits, Features, and the Buying Funnel 104

When to Use a Feature vs a Benefit 105

Employing Themes That Get Clicks 106

Utilizing Numbers in Ads 107

How Strong Is Your Call to Action? 110

Writing Informational Ad Copy 111

Utilizing Negative Ad Copy 114

Do Not Forget the Display URL 114

Controlling Your Mobile Ads 116

Spicing Up Your Ads with Ad Extensions 118

Sitelink Extensions 118

Call Extensions 125

Additional Extensions 127

Limited Betas for New Extensions 129

Showcasing Your Products with PLAs 129

Following the Law: Trademarks 131

Trademark Exceptions 134

The Quest for the Holy Grail of Advertising 135

Best Practices for Writing Compelling Ads 136

Chapter 5 Creating Landing Pages That Convert Searchers into Buyers 139

Does Your Landing Page Answer the Searcher’s Question? 140

Everything about Destination URLs 142

Using Destination URLs for Tracking 144

Complying with Destination URL Editorial Policies 151

Choosing Landing Pages That Increase Conversion Rates 152

Choosing Landing Pages Based on the Type of Query 153

Differentiating Local Business Queries 157

Using Segmentation Pages 159

Using Forms as Landing Pages 160

Thanking Your Customers 162

Crafting Perfect Landing Pages 164

Employing Usability, Trust, and Web Technology 164

Using Web Technology to Implement Usability and User Security 165

Psychological Factors That Increase Conversion Rates 173

Your Website’s Usability Goals 180

Best Practices for Landing Pages 181

Chapter 6 Learning Advanced Optimization Techniques 183

Optimizing for Traffic 184

Exploring Strategies to Show Your Ads More Often 184

Taking Advantage of Dynamic Keyword Insertion 190

Increasing Page Views 194

Optimizing for Conversions 198

Writing Ad Copy That Sells 199

Creating Landing Pages That Increase Conversions 200

Making Additional Conversions to Increase Your Profits 210

Best Practices for Advanced Optimization Techniques 213

Chapter 7 Demystifying Quality Score 215

What Is Quality Score? 216

How Quality Score Affects Ad Rank 218

Quality Score Factors for Search 221

Viewing Your Quality Score 225

Landing Page Quality: Making Your Pages Relevant 228

Spiderability 228

Relevance 229

Transparency 230

Navigation 230

Estimating Your First Page Bid 231

Understanding the Display Network Quality Score 233

Quality Score for Managed Placements 234

Diagnosing Your Quality Scores 235

Ignoring Quality Score 240

Increasing Quality Scores 243

Creating Highly Relevant Ad Groups 244

Ad Testing to Increase Quality Scores 246

Landing Page Fixes 248

What to Do if Your Quality Score Drops 249

Quality Score FAQs 251

Best Practices for Optimizing Quality Scores 254

Chapter 8 Beyond Text: Employing Image, Video, and Mobile Ads 257

Beyond the Desktop: Creating Mobile Ads 258

Reaching Smartphone Users 258

Smartphone Extensions 261

Reaching Other Mobile Users: WAP Mobile Ads 262

Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool 264

Beyond Static Text: Creating Rich Media Ads 266

Creating Effective Image Ads 266

Developing Profitable Video Ads 272

AdWords Ad Gallery 275

Best Practices for Employing Image, Video, and Mobile Ads 278

Chapter 9 Understanding the Display Network 279

What Is the Display Network? 280

Advantages of the Display Network 281

Display Targeting Methods 282

Automatic vs Managed Placements 283

Creating Search- and Display-Only Campaigns 284

Managing Ad Group Targeting 285

Creating a Successful Display Network Campaign 286

Creating Keyword-Based Display Ad Groups 287

Display Network Topic Targeting 292

Targeting Ads Based on a User’s Interest 296

Placement Targeting: Choose the Actual Sites Where Your Ads Are Displayed 298

Blocking Your Ads from Being Shown across the Display Network 305

Determining Negative Display Keywords 309

Smart Pricing: Measure Success with Cost per Conversion 310

Choosing CPM or CPC Bidding 312

Using the Display Planner Tool 314

Best Practices for the Display Network 320

Chapter 10 Utilizing Advanced Display Network Techniques 323

Remarketing: Bringing Visitors Back to Your Site 324

Define an Audience 324

Place the Script on Your Site 328

Create a Remarketing Ad Group 330

The 100 Cookie Rule 332

Remarketing Strategies 332

Don’t Creep Out Your Customers 340

Flexible Targeting: Mixing and Matching Every Display Targeting Option 341

Flexible Targeting Options 342

Bid Modifiers for Display 344

Flexible Bidding Examples 345

Optimizing Your Display Campaigns 351

Organizing Your Display Campaigns 353

Creating Scenarios to Understand and Reach Your Target Audience 357

Writing Effective Display Ads 359

Best Practices for Advanced Display Network Advertising 361

Chapter 11 Utilizing Advanced Geographic Targeting Techniques 363

What Is Geographic Targeting? 364

The Technology behind Location Targeting 364

How Accurate Is Location Targeting? 366

Reaching Users in Specific Locations 369

Finding Locations to Target 370

Radius Targeting 374

Location Groups and Bid Modifiers 375

Advanced Location Targeting Options 376

Location Targeting Considerations 378

Targeting Multiple Countries 378

Reaching Users in an Area Smaller than a Country 380

Treating Locals and Nonlocals Differently in Your Ad Copy 385

Automatically Inserting Your Address into the Ad Copy 387

A Case Study into Local Belief Systems 390

Viewing Geographic Results 391

Geographic Performance Reports 393

Best Practices for Geographic Targeting 396

Chapter 12 Saving Time and Scaling Accounts with AdWords Editor 399

AdWords Editor Overview 400

Choosing Your Viewpoint 400

Viewing Your Account in AdWords Editor 404

Scaling Your Account 408

Importing Keywords 409

Creating Thousands of Keywords and Ad Groups 411

Easily Creating Thousands of Ads 414

Optimizing Display with AdWords Editor 420

Best Practices for Using AdWords Editor 421

Chapter 13 Devising Profitable Bid Strategies 423

Setting Your Marketing Goals 424

Measuring Results with Google’s Conversion-Tracking Code 425

AdWords Conversion-Tracking Code 426

Google Analytics Tracking 430

Accessing Valuable Conversion Data in AdWords Reports 432

Tracking Phone Calls 434

Exploring AdWords Bidding Options 435

Focus on Clicks, Option 1 435

Focus on Clicks, Option 2 435

Enhanced CPC 436

Conversion Optimizer 437

Focus on Impressions 443

Flexible Bidding 443

Profitable Bidding Strategies 448

ROAS vs Profit 449

Revenue per Click 450

Taking Margins into Account 453

How Can Publishers Determine Revenue per Click? 455

Tracking Long Sales Cycles with Conversion Funnels 457

Calculating Your Max CPC 460

Setting Bids Based on ROAS 460

Bidding for Exposure 461

Bid Modifiers: Automatically Changing Bids by Time, Geography, Devices, and More 464

Location Bid Modifiers 467

Ad Scheduling: Automatically Changing Bids by Time Periods 471

Finding Conversion Information by Time Frames 473

Examples of Ad Scheduling Success 476

Creating Time-Sensitive Offers 479

Device Modifiers 480

Understanding Attribution Management 481

Examining AdWords Reports to Make ROAS Bid Decisions 484

Best Practices for Utilizing Profitable Bid Strategies 487

Chapter 14 Organizing Accounts Successfully 489

What Is an AdWords Account? 490

What Are the Limits of an AdWords Account? 490

Managing Multiple Accounts the Easy Way 491

Becoming a Google Partner 494

Developing a Successful Campaign Structure 496

Reasons to Create New Campaigns 496

Structuring Campaigns to Achieve Business Goals 497

Organizing an Ad Group to Increase CTR and Conversion Rates 513

Ad Group Organization for Mobile Bid Modifiers 515

Best Practices for Account Organization Strategies 516

Chapter 15 Implementing Testing Techniques That Will Increase Profits 519

Testing Is Essential to Increasing Profits 520

Testing Ad Copy to Increase Conversions 520

Ad Copy Messages You Should Test 521

Ad Copy Themes to Spark Your Creativity 521

Test Discounts Instead of Prices 522

Creating the Ad Copy Test 525

General Guidelines for Statistical Significance 527

Measuring the Results of Your Ad Test 529

Multi-Ad Group Testing 532

Testing Mobile Ads 534

Testing Landing Pages to Increase Conversions 535

Testing Where to Send Traffic 536

Landing Page Testing Factors 541

Making Ads and Landing Pages Work Together 547

Essential Items to Test First 553

Creating a Landing Page Test 553

Testing Profit per Click and Profit per Impression 556

AdWords Campaign Experiments 559

Best Practices for Testing Techniques That Will Increase Profits 561

Chapter 16 AdWords Reports: Extracting Actionable Information 563

Choosing General AdWords Report Settings 564

Customizing the Interface 564

Downloading Your Data 568

Using Reports to Optimize Your Account 571

Campaign Reports 571

Ad Group Performance Report 573

Ad Performance Report 573

Keyword Report 576

Display Network Reports 579

Dimensions Reports 581

Creating Custom Alerts 585

Best Practices for Using AdWords Reports 587

Chapter 17 Step by Step: Creating and Monitoring Your AdWords Account 589

Before You Create Your Account 590

Creating Campaigns 592

Creating Search Campaigns 593

Creating Display-Targeted Campaigns 597

Creating Managed Placements Campaigns 598

Other Campaign Types 600

Optimizing Ongoing Campaigns 601

Optimizing Search Campaigns 601

Managing Maximize Clicks Campaigns 605

Optimizing Display Campaigns 606

Optimizing Managed Placements Campaigns 608

Optimizing CPM Campaigns 609

Optimizing Other Campaign Types 611

Creating an Optimization Schedule 612

Best Practices for Creating and Managing Your AdWords Account 615

Glossary 619

Index 627